People & Places

How do airports send the right suitcase to the right plane?

A suitcase follows a coded tag through a hidden maze of belts, scanners and sorting machines. When you check in a bag, it gets a tag with a barcode or radio chip linked to your flight. Conveyor belts carry the bag through the airport's baggage system. Scanners read the tag at different points, and computer-controlled gates or arms send the bag onto the correct route.